


Separated

by TyrantLizardKing



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:26:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23656066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyrantLizardKing/pseuds/TyrantLizardKing
Summary: A normal visit to Mementos goes awry when the floor generation sees the Phantom Thieves splintered across the dungeon. Worse, Makoto has been sent alone, far beyond their progress. Will Ren save her before The Reaper can claim the Phantom Thieves' Queen as its victim?
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, shumako - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 80





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my second ShuMako fic. This one is a bit less focused on the pairing as I wanted to write a fic involving the group as a whole, though I still tried to maintain a convincing relationship between the two. Inspiration for this story came from a discussion in the headcanons channel of ShuMako Central, where a user brought up the idea of the Phantom Thieves becoming separated in Mementos similar to S.E.E.S. in Tartarus in Persona 3. While I haven't played P3 for myself just yet, I did some research to understand what I was getting myself into, which leads us into the story itself. I hope you all enjoy Separated.

“Well done, everyone.”

“Yeah, I taught those weird moth guys not to mess with us again!” Skull enthusiastically pumped both fists as they proceeded towards the escalators. 

“Eh, you were alright Skull.” Oracle commented from the safety of her Persona, watching the group below. “But Joker and Queen are the ones kicking real ass today.”

Queen became slightly red under her mask. “H-Huh, us?”

“Yeah!” Noir chimed in with heart. “You two are both amazing no matter what!”

“I only do what benefits the group.” Queen held a hand to object, before her face grew redder when Joker planted a kiss on her forehead.

_ sigh _ “You guys are so cute…” Panther groaned with mild jealousy, casually glancing to Skull afterwards. “I wish I was in a relationship.”

To her surprise, Fox put a hand on her shoulder to bolster his statement. “Have no fear, Panther. You will certainly find someone attracted to you eventually.” He chuckled a little. “You could call me an example, in a different sense.”

“Yeah, but that was more your artist senses speaking, Fox.”

“An attraction is an attraction.” The boy shrugged at her, as Skull muffled his laughter behind them.

Queen cleared her throat as they walked down the static escalators. “Not that I don’t appreciate your encouragement everyone, but being in a relationship isn’t all positives.”

“She’s right.” Joker took over as she expected him to. “Especially with how we put our lives on the line like this, having a loved one can make things a bit more...stressful.”

“And yet, the two of you are madly in love to the point of having increased efficiency when fighting as one.” Fox was quick to reply with his usual keen observations. “I don’t believe you’d give each other up for the world.”

Though Queen wished to answer this, she was cut off by the sensation of Joker’s gloved hand gently gripping around her own. 

“You aren’t wrong.” He replied, looking to his lover with a smile.

After a moment’s hesitation, she returned his gaze and said “He has certainly shown me how to be happy again.”

“Maaan, can we have a Phantom Thief wedding when we’re adults?” Skull thought aloud. “Oh Joker, I better be your best man.”

“And I’d love to be your maid of honour, Queen.” Noir chuckled, looking very bright in the darkness of Mementos.

“N-N-Not so fast!” Queen panicked. “W-We’re not even in our twenties yet!”

Joker seized his chance. “I’d marry you any time, even if the world was about to end.” He winked at her underneath his mask.

“Nhhhhhh!!” The older girl covered her red face up with gloved hands as the rest of the group laughed heartily. Once they’d all calmed down, Mona spoke up.

“Something about this next Mementos floor feels a bit different from the rest.” His large eyes squinted with concentration.

“I agree,” Oracle commented from above, “but I haven’t finished my analysis yet. Maybe you guys should hang back for a moment.”

Joker splayed both arms out to stop the group from proceeding any further. “Oracle, Mona, why the caution?”

Oracle went first. “I’m not sure still, but the next Mementos floor’s generation appears to be scrambled or something. My readings won’t know for certain until we actually enter it.”

“And if that’s the case, there may be more dead ends than usual. In fact, it could halt our progress for the day if we’re unlucky enough.” Mona hobbled on the spot to make sure everyone was listening.

“But why is this happening now? We’ve been through so many layers of Mementos as-is, so what reason is there for it being different than all the others?” Fox stroked his chin with one hand, his faux tail seemingly flicking in thought.

“Mementos is the palace birthed from the hearts of the public, right?” Noir posed a question. “With the unrest over Shido’s health and the election next week, perhaps that’s had a greater effect on this place than any of us expected.”

Skull growled. “Man that Shido guy really screws up everything, doesn’t he?”

“What’s your call Joker?” Queen petitioned towards him.

He was silent for a few moments before calling up to Oracle again. “Oracle, is the distortion harmful to us?”

“Not at all.”

“Then we press forward. Whatever it is, we can deal with it.” He motioned for the group to continue on, but when he turned around his attention drew itself to Queen’s concerned face.

“Are you sure about this? If it’s something even Oracle can’t fully analyze, it might be wiser for us to turn back for the day.” Her crimson irises glowed with a sense of unease, a primal fear of the unknown.

He found himself unable to answer, staring at his significant other like this. 

“Why don’t we put it to a vote?” Panther broke the silence.

Joker snapped his fingers at her. “Good idea. Those in favour of continuing, put up your hand.”

Fox, Skull, Noir, Panther, and Joker all cast their vote for this outcome.

“Now, those who wish to turn back.”

Only Queen and Mona were in favour of this, although Oracle called down that she was with them too.

“That settles it then. We move forward.” Joker’s long coat flowed with grace as he spun around and continued onward.

Behind him, Queen bit her lip with worry.  _ It’ll be okay...you’re not alone...we’ll all look after each other… _

“Hope that Reaper dude doesn’t show up!” Skull cracked as they fully entered the next floor.

\------

He planted himself firmly on both feet, one hand resting against his chin as the other supported his elbow. The view before him seemed perfectly fine; dark ambience, railroad tracks, and hulking Shadows wandering around in search of a victim to pulverize.

“This doesn’t look any different.” The boy mumbled to himself.

“Uh, Joker…?” Oracle’s voice carried much concern as she hovered above him.

Without turning around, he said “Mona, car form if you please?”

Mona only wobbled forward, his face bearing a stunned expression.

“Joker…!” Oracle yelled again.

Their leader dropped his cool. “Mona, what’s wrong?”

“Joker! Turn around!”

“Why? What’s-” Joker cut himself off as he spun in reverse to find that they were completely alone. There was no Skull, no Panther, no Fox, no Noir...and no Queen. Quickly he became paralyzed as his mind processed this turn of events, upon which he called up to their navigator. “Oracle! What happened?! Where is everyone?”

“I-I-I don’t know! When you guys crossed down into this next floor some of you got sent to different layers!”

“How?!” He yelled back.

“Joker.” Mona had regained his composure and now needed his owner to do the same. “Take a breath and then we’ll figure this out.”

Joker complied, loosening up his posture and drawing air in from his nostrils before exhaling out of his mouth. Oracle landed her Persona so as to converse with them face-to-face.

“I guess this has something to do with how the public became briefly splintered when we announced we were going to take Shido’s heart.” She pulled up her goggles and began typing into the left arm of her suit. “If you give me a few moments, I can probably figure out where everyone got sent to.”

Joker nodded before turning to Mona again. “Mona, I want your opinion on something.”

“What is it?”

“Do you think…” His mouth twisted itself a little as it forced the next set of words out “...do you think it’s my fault this happened?”

To his surprise but also relief, Mona simply shook his rounded head. “No. We assessed as much as we could, took a vote, and chose to continue on. Even Oracle didn’t know this would happen.”

Joker merely went silent at this, still feeling a tinge of guilt lingering inside of him, but filed the thought away for later. 

“Okay,” Oracle settled her goggles back down over her eyes and addressed her allies with a determinate voice “for reference we’re in Adyesach right now. It looks like Skull and Fox got sent to the top layer, Qimranut, so they should be fine. Fox is sensible enough that he’ll likely take them back to the entrance and wait for us there.”

Joker and Mona both nodded.

“Panther and Noir arrrrree in...Akzeriyyuth, which is just above us.”

“And Queen?” Joker asked coldly.

“Queen is...oh no...”

“That doesn’t sound good.” Mona shuddered a little.

Oracle winced as she delivered the news “...Queen’s below us, in Sheriruth.”

Their leader froze up, paralyzed with fear. Queen was down there, all alone in the darkness without any backup. His fists clenched with a mix of fear and anger as he shut his eyes beneath his white mask.

“Mona.”

The cat broke his own thoughts to answer him. “Yeah?”

“Who do you think the Reaper will prioritize going after?”

This he struggled to answer. “Well, we can assume Skull and Fox will wait at the entrance, where the Reaper won’t care about them. It could go after Panther and Noir, but they’re likely to make it to a rest area with each other.” His large eyes swirled with a sensation of love. “Lady Ann’s so strong…”

_ ahem _ Joker coughed.

“Oh, right.” Mona wobbled himself around to regain focus. “It’s most likely going to head for Queen, given that she’s alone and the furthest down.” He and Oracle observed their leader pacing rather furiously around the platform. “I’m sorry Joker.”

After a few more steps, he halted himself and began issuing orders. “Alright, here’s what we’re going to do: Oracle, head up to check on Skull and Fox first, because I don’t want to assume that they won’t try fighting through the layers again.”

Oracle saluted as if she were a marine. “You got it!”

“Mona, you’re also going to head up and find Panther and Noir.”

The cat’s eyes blinked twice. “Wait, does that mean…?”

“Once you’ve both found your parties, meet back up and head down as one strong unit.” His back was facing them now as he stared ahead to the tunnels before him. “I’m going to rescue our Queen.”

“Joker, are you sure that’s wise?” Mona frowned a little. “We know both of you are strong, but you’re also both going to be alone for a while.”

“I know. But she needs me.”

Mona’s mouth opened to object further, but stopped when he witnessed Oracle throw her hands up in acceptance. “Alright. We’ll find the others and join you when we can.”

“Thanks. Now go!”

Oracle and Mona hurried back up the escalator, knowing how serious their leader was. There was no more time to waste for any of them.

Joker ran several fingers along the hard edges of his white mask, to remind himself of the will power he held within. Jumping off of the train platform and onto the tracks, he braced himself for what lay ahead, knowing that somewhere down there was the girl he loved.

And she needed him now, more than ever.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two lovers separated: how much time do they have to close the distance between them before danger arises?

She pressed her back against the wall, feeling its cold, smooth exterior. Slowly she sank down, letting the flat surface guide her body gently towards the ground. Her knees crumbled outwards, and she lifted her mask upwards with one hand, before letting both rest in her lap. The dank bowels of this dungeon seemed to relish in her unsettlement, with the winds howling with sheer delight.

Down here, in this dark encampment, she was all alone.

How had they become separated? Just moments ago she was walking directly behind Joker and in front of the other Thieves, yet now she was in an unfamiliar location with none of her teammates to back her up.

This was bad. Really bad. Makoto truly wasn’t sure what to do- and worse, she could feel her nyctophobia start to flare up in the midnight darkness of Mementos’ deepest layers.

Her mind felt conflicted. Part of her wanted to shiver up and cry. Part of her wished to charge forward on Anat and crush everything in her way, to prove she could still contribute to the Thieves’ progress even alone. 

The girl’s eyes looked straight ahead. Yes, Anat could traverse these train tracks just as well as Mona’s car form could. Shadows wandered about as usual; Makoto could tell that their strength levels were greater than others they’d encountered before. Taking a look at the colour scheme of this area, it dawned on her that she’d somehow wound up on a layer of Mementos the Thieves hadn’t actually reached yet. Moving forward alone may prove unwise.

Instead Makoto took a deep, slow breath, and then another. Closing her eyes let her think of the breathing exercises her father had taught her to perform while practicing aikido, so she channeled them here to calm her tense nerves. Sitting on the platform, the Shadows shouldn’t be able to reach her. The Queen pressed her palms onto her thighs and continued breathing, patiently.

She knew Joker would come to her rescue. Wherever he was in Mementos, the boy would come find her as fast as possible. All she had to do was wait.

For a while, the girl found peace. The constantly blowing wind of Mementos oddly became calming, and with her eyes closed its darkness had no effect on her. She could do this for as long as she pleased. 

Or so she thought.

In the midst of her meditation, the gusts of wind suddenly grew more intense. No longer were they simple blasts of air; no, now they flowed with a tinge of anger. Makoto popped one eye open, and then the other as she realized the entire area was flashing an alarming blaze of red.

Then her ears were greeted with a bone-chilling sound: rattling chains flailing about as a warning directed towards those that could hear them.

Her peace left her very quickly. The mind slowly began racing with fear, horror, dread...the girl’s irises grew wide as the chain rattling continued at uneven intervals, its source seemingly swaying around at random speeds.

Makoto’s breathing began to speed up, growing heavier to the point where she rested one hand across her chest to try and temper her lungs. Was it her imagination, or was the source of the chain twinkling slowly moving closer to her position? 

Now the shivering began, as her legs tensed up and her posture lost its proudness to become rigid and uneasy. Even though it was fruitless to do so, she couldn’t hold back the urge to cry out:

“REN, HELP!!!”

\------

Difficult was the word one could use to describe his progress. He kept swapping Personas- Arsene, Seth, Cu Chulainn, Black Frost, Seiryu, Lilith, Surt... -to knock down whatever was in his way. The opposing Shadows were truly of little consequence to the young man who was barreling down through every opponent he faced. If he could though, he’d press his black form against the wall and slither his way around the opposition. He’d been doing this for months; while Joker wasn’t one to brag, he certainly wouldn’t deny how proficient he’d become in the art of Phantom Thievery.

Without any navigator, the Wild Card holder had simply been getting through floors as fast as he could until he found who he was looking for; the girl who needed him much sooner than later. There was no time for him to worry about what sort of predicaments Queen may be in; his mind was focused on simply reaching her.

In the back of that mind however still lay the subtle guilty conscience that this was his fault. Mona wasn’t wrong with what he’d said; they’d put it to a vote with the majority favouring continued progression. And yet both of the navigators had voted against, not to mention their strategist as well. Shouldn't that have been a tell that the danger was too great? If he’d just chosen to turn them back, he could have been brewing coffee at Leblanc for the group right now instead of hurrying down this death chamber.

Shaking his head alleviated him of the fears once more; he was almost at the end of Adyesach now, meaning Sheriruth was soon. 

_ Just a little longer, Makoto… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if I mentioned this before, but this story will be a short one. I'm a bit concerned Makoto may have felt out-of-character in this chapter; my intent was to begin raising the stakes and establish the situation further. Next chapter we'll check in on the other Thieves. Thank you for reading.
> 
> And yes, I did deliberately hold this back for Makoto's birthday.


	3. Chapter 3

“...and it’s not as if I’m expecting anything, but do you think maybe she’d say yes to a date with me?”

Fox’s groan at this echoed down through the tunnels of the faux train station.

“Come onnn Fox, where’s your sense of support for a fellow dude?” Skull punched him casually on the shoulder.

Underneath his canine-esque max, Yusuke felt as though he was going to burst a vein. “Skull, you have been prattling on and on about asking Panther out as if it were your last goal before death!”

Skull failed to see the significance in this. “So?”

If he could have, Fox would have knocked his companion out and left him slumped against the wall for some peace and quiet. “Could we _please_ focus on figuring out what happened to the others?!”

“Oh! Right, right.” The athlete stretched his arms back behind his neck and looked around them. Just as Oracle had predicted, Fox had recognized their position and guided them back up towards Mementos’ entrance, where they were safe from any Shadow attacks. “We’re safe up here for now, but who knows where the other guys wound up.”

Now the artist began feeling relaxed again, if slowly. “Yes, it is puzzling to say the least. Something must have happened when we entered that floor which split most of us up. And who knows if it divided us evenly?”

He saw his teammate relax against a pillar. “So what should we do? Look for them?”

Fox shook his head at the notion. “That would be unwise. I believe we should put faith in our leader’s ability to think quickly in the face of a crisis.”

As if on cue, both young men heard the sound of a UFO approaching their position, which Oracle dropped from. “Wow, you guys _did_ come back to the entrance!”

“Oracle!” Skull regained his energy at the sight of their prime navigator.

“It was difficult.” Fox chuckled, stroking his long chin with a single hand. “Had Skull been sent up here alone, I could almost bet all my yen that he would have fought his way back down.”

At this his blonde friend shook a fist towards him. “H-Hey! I’m not _that_ stupid!” 

Once Oracle had stopped smirking at the thought, she explained the situation. “In any case, I’m glad you guys are alright. We just have to wait for Mona to return with Panther and Noir before we can all head back down.”

“For real?” Skull’s hands found their way to his hips. “What about Joker and Queen?”

The young girl’s gaze turned towards the entranceway leading to the depths below. “Joker went by himself to find Queen.”

Fox’s eyes grew wide from underneath his mask. “Where did they get sent to?”

“I was still with Joker and Mona when we entered that floor, but Queen got sent ahead of us, and Joker raced on ahead before…” She shivered a little.

“Before what?”

“Before the Reaper comes for her.” Skull snapped his fingers in realization, remembering what he said before they entered the mystery floor, before stomping the ground. “Damn, I jinxed us!”

“No you didn’t Skull.” Oracle wagged two fingers at him in disagreement. “The Reaper functions on its own system; it could have gone for any of us.”

He sighed at the facts. “So we just have to wait for Mona, huh?”

“‘Fraid so.” The three of them sat down, figuring they could at least use this time to rest.

\------

“Maybe this isn’t such a bad thing after all.”

“Why is that, Mona?” Noir played with the feather on her hat in puzzlement.

“Cause I got to save you and Lady Ann!” The car bounced with delight, its passengers thankful they wore seatbelts.

“Uhhh thanks Mona, but we made it to the rest point by ourselves.” Panther didn’t detect what exactly he was speaking about.

“More importantly,” Noir thought aloud, “do you think the others made it to the entrance area?”

“I’d hope so.” Panther replied with a slight frown. “Skull may be thick-headed but I’d assume with Fox there they’d have turned back instead of going forward.”

Mona simply replied with “I’m counting on it.”

“You’re both right.” Noir was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. “I just hope Ren-kun and Mako-chan are okay…”

Panther gave her a reassuring wink. “Those two? Nothing gets in their way.”

Mona agreed. “We have to put our faith in them until we can all back them up as a team again.”

Noir smiled yet still found herself staring outside at the night-like environment with a tinge of worry. She only hoped they would all rendezvous in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief chapter, hope it's sufficient. I'm not actually sure if Necronomicon can fly at high speeds, but I assumed so for this story. Actually, where does Oracle even stay while navigating the team?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Reaper cometh.

If she held her eyes shut further and could rid her nerves of tension, perhaps her mind could imagine the sound of chain rattling was actually that of twinkling stars or wind chimes.

But that was not possible. No matter where in the level she went to, the malformed hellmongerer would follow, its bagged face twitching with a fetish for violent slaughter. Other Shadows found themselves fleeing- not from fear of the Reaper, but rather being reassured that the intruder would be dealt with by it, and so they were not needed.

Finally the gun-toting hellspawn managed to corner its prey within a large chamber, knowing she could not escape without confronting it. 

As Queen gasped for breath after running and having to repeatedly summon Anat, she could hear a husky, draven voice repeatedly speaking in her mind.

_“...out...get out...get...out…”_

The closer the Reaper drew, the louder it became.

_“...out...geT OUT…GET OUT...”_

Removing her hands from her young face allowed the girl to witness her stalker in all of its hellish glory. A single egg-white eye met her own as it cocked its guns in a mix of delight and frustration, and it lurched forward with a force powerful enough to knock her down.

Makoto’s nyctophobia screamed at her to curl up in a ball and accept her fate. It seemed like all of her hard work was about to end here, alone in a place that told her she didn’t belong. But then she’d braved worse, hadn’t she? When her father was killed, she’d been hurt in many ways and wished life would stop, yet the girl had persevered then. This couldn’t be any different, not least when she had a fighting chance still. Her inner tension was brought to a halt by closing her eyes once more, and focusing on those who cared about her wellbeing; Ren, Haru, Sae, Morgana...and especially her father. Was this _really_ how she was going to be reunited with him? 

_“...dIE…”_

“...No.” was the defiant response it received.

Queen found herself back on both feet, still scared but with some resolve restored. Pointing at the Reaper with one finger and balling up the other hand into a fist, she made her stand. “Unlike you there are people who care about me! If you’re going to put me down, you’ll have to work for it!”

“ _....hhhrrrrRRAAAAGHHHH…”_ The Reaper relished in being challenged by its prey, firing bullets wildly into the air as Anat appeared behind her wielder and struck their assailant with Freidyne. The Reaper barely recoiled before aiming one gun at Queen and firing, with her just barely dodging the blast. Its eye never took its gaze off of her, determined to see its victim slaughtered no matter how long it took to do so. 

Deep down, Makoto knew she could not win a battle against this foe, so heavily equipped both offensively and defensively to purge whatever lay in its path. The best she could do was stall it in hopes backup would arrive in time to rescue her from her plight. Yet she took solace in remembering that she was not one to cower in fear; if she was going to fall, it would be after exhausting all her strength.

And she still had lots to spare.

\------

Had there been a door to kick down, the boy likely would have. 

At last he’d made it to Sheriruth. He wasn’t sure how much longer he had until he could find Queen, yet he took some reassurance in knowing that she was somewhere within this layer. Travelling through so much of Mementos by himself was strange. He’d never come here without at least one more person by his side, so fighting Shadows through multiple levels alone was a new experience. Part of him wished he had a guide, yet he relished in being able to take full advantage of his abilities as the strongest member of the Phantom Thieves. Of course he wasn’t invincible, and he recognized that he wouldn’t be where he was now without his friends...the last thing he wanted was to grow corrupt and birth his own Palace from indulging in madness.

He could feel some fatigue beginning to set in; having to self-heal injuries and keep track of weaknesses both learned and discovered during his journey was taxing in more ways than one. But he would not stop until he knew she was safe. When this was over he wished to hold the girl in his arms and bring her comfort again.

Joker was no fool; he was well aware of how tough Queen was in many aspects, recalling how they’d vowed to function as equals in their relationship. Countless life experiences- battling in the Metaverse and spending time together in real life -had taught him about how self-confident and bold Queen was. If she was in danger, she would fight back using any means available. Cowardice and weakness were words he’d never ever use to describe someone with as much willpower as she possessed.

A smile appeared on his face as he slinked through the dungeon, for he had realized that he had been wrong earlier: his goal to reach Queen would not be a rescue.

It was to be a reunion.

\--------

_“...SCREAM…”_

A single blast from the Reaper’s gunbarrel sent her flying backwards; even with her defenses boosted she could hardly take any more punishment. In her mind she battled with the Reaper’s husky voice and Anat’s lack of energy to keep the fight going for much longer. She held her right arm with fatigue, having exhausted all her bullets and used up the majority of her magical power.

The girl wasn’t bleeding yet, but once again she was beginning to worry that she may fall here if this slugfest went on any longer. Her adversary was barely damaged at all despite her pushing the offensive, as it casted defensive spells to remove whatever fighting chance she had. Its single visible eye pulsated with vile delight at the prospect of seeing her perish soon.

Queen wasn’t sure what else she could do now besides striking it with aikido, for at this point she would either be saved or finally resign herself to her fate. She clenched her teeth together as she rammed another fist into the Reaper’s grotesque form. 

_“...DEATH…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for another brief chapter, I'm juggling multiple projects and looking to have this done very soon. I hope my attempts to make the Reaper more scary work as intended, cause I know in the game he can't reach you if you stand on the train platform.


	5. Chapter 5

“Faster Mona, faster! You gotta put your backside into it!” Skull hammered the inside walls of the car with his gloved fist.

The Phantom Thieves’ van jostled as it raced down the tracks. “I’m at top speed! Going all the way from the top of Mementos to the bottom is gonna take a bit!”

“Just so long as we reach Ren-kun and Mako-chan in time.” Noir tried to reassure the group while hiding her own worry.

Panther looked at Fox, who was sitting across from her in the back as he scribbled away in his sketchbook. “What are you doing, Fox?”

“Laying down ideas for later.” He did not look up as he replied. “Such a day like this will be one to remember; I must paint our escapades when I can.”

His teammate nodded in agreement as she watched Skull attempt to make jokes with Noir in the front seat, attempting to calm her nerves. Though they were falling flat, Noir still found herself giggling at the attempts.

Oracle signaled the group to be ready when they arrived; their objective was to drive the Reaper back and then pull out altogether. It was just a matter of reaching their missing teammates on time.

\-------

_ This escalator segment has to be it. I’ve already passed two rest areas, so where is she? _

As if to answer his mental uncertainty, his masked eyes were greeted by a blood-red groundspace while the tingling of chains met his eardrums.

_ No… _ He began running as furiously as his legs would carry him now, using his third eye to search the floor.  _ I can’t be too late! I can’t! _

Navigating such a deep level of Mementos was more challenging than he’d expected; the Shadows still wandered about looking to impede his progress which he ferociously hammered against. By this point he was angry, frustrated with how much extra work he’d been forced to put in today. Even channeling his growing pains into battle energy only went so far; he would need a hot bath tonight to cool off.

As he summoned Surt to strike an opponent with Agidyne, he viewed his surroundings with detail. The way Mementos flashed with an inferno of red when the Reaper appeared made him ponder; just what was this place? Why did it exist? He was well aware of its status as a sort of Palace for the public, yet couldn’t fathom who or what had installed this sort of security system. It hurt his head to try and comprehend the scope of this place, and the further knowledge he lacked hurt him more.

Then he was snapped out of it again by a scream. He could not tell if it was one of defiance or one of death, yet he hurried all the same to discover its source. Leading into a swelterous chamber, his eyes immediately locked with another human being. She was nearly on the floor, barely able to stand and bleeding in a few areas now. Joker expressed no joy at the sight he was being greeted with, instead immediately turning his anger towards the hellmonger who had done this to her, the demon turning its own attention towards this newcomer.

There was no time to waste any more. He ripped away his mask and engaged the opponent with everything he had. 

“Seth! One-Shot Kill, now!” A jet-black wyvern materialized behind him and blasted the Reaper with a heavy bullet, impacting its target with the force of a freight train. Yet still it only staggered a little more than he was expecting; Queen had softened it up a bit, but it was a hardy opponent that still retained most of its fighting spirit.

The Reaper laughed as it recovered, though decided to spend time cocking its guns instead of attacking, which Joker used to rush to Queen’s side.

“Makoto? Makoto!” He cradled the girl in his arms, knowing full well that he had just moments to spare before needing to fight again. Her body was still warm, and he checked for a pulse to be certain that there was still life.

To his relief, she weakly opened her eyes, which grew wide once she realized whose face she was looking at. “Ren…?”

For a moment, his anger gave way to joy as they locked hands. “Oh my god...I thought…”

“Don’t be silly.” She managed a smile to ease him. “I’m your equal, remember?”

Joker returned this sentiment. “Yes, you are.”

_ “...GET OUT…” _

Their happy moment was broken up by the growl of Mementos’ top dog. The Reaper snarled at the couple, pointing both of its rifles toward them with a twitching face; it seemed angry that it also had more work to do now.

Gently laying Queen back on the ground, Joker stood to full height in front of her, his happiness giving way to anger once more as he locked glances with the one attempting to slay them both. His thoughts felt clouded, and his mind began agreeing that it was indeed his fault for letting this happen. The boy ripped off his mask again, this time letting Black Frost materialize with a hearty “Hee Ho!”.

“Black Frost, Diamond Dust!” The Reaper was overcome by chilling icicles, yet barely even flinched. That was the strongest Ice attack Joker had on him, and yet it failed to freeze their adversary. He bit his lip; his resources were very low from all the battles he’d engaged in to reach this point. Even with all the Personas in his menagerie, he wasn’t sure how well he’d fare against a foe of this caliber.

As he prepared to switch out Black Frost for Cu Chulainn, he was shocked by something else.

“Anat, Freidyne!” The Reaper was blown back unexpectedly by another Nuclear blast, though it continued to push forward soon after. Joker turned to his side to see Queen standing next to him, albeit weakly, with Anat’s robotic form looming behind her protectively.

“Makoto…!”

“I...I can’t give up now…” She clutched her stomach with one hand, gritting her teeth as she did so. “If we fall here...at least we’re together…!” The girl flashed a weak smile at him, though his expression only conveyed worry.

“I…” He shut his eyes, naively trying to block out his mental stress and the sight of an injured Makoto still wanting to fight...before realizing that this was the wrong approach. “You’re right.” He moved closer to her as Cu Chulainn materialized behind him, wrapping one arm around hers for support. “I’ll always be at your side.”

The girl embraced him with as much pride as her exhausted body could muster. “And I will be yours.”

Seeing this display of strength, the Reaper howled in fury. Usually the hunts did not take as long as this one was, leading to the demon becoming increasingly impatient. This prey was irritatingly defiant, and so it fired blasts that lowered their resistance; the battle had gone on long enough.

Standing firm, the couple casted whatever magical energy they had left on their opponent, feeling re-energized thanks to their shared bond. Even if they did not last, they would go down fighting with everything they had. Ren and Makoto held no regrets, so long as they had each other.


	6. Chapter 6

Quiet. He couldn’t hear a thing. His whole body felt utterly weightless, like a feather flowing in the river. Wherever he was resting, it was very peaceful. The boy could take breaths without something causing a kerfuffle to intrude his thoughts, letting him relax in tranquility.

But then a thought came to him; one of a girl older than he was with dark hair and proud form. She was his life partner, his equal who he had won the heart of using his charismatic charm and sincerity. The boy felt that neither of them could feel truly happy if the other wasn’t, meaning he had a duty to see where she was.

Slowly but surely he felt his teenaged body return to form, gaining its physical weight back to signify to the mind that he was conscious again. Ren sat up against the wall he’d been leaning, blinking repeatedly as he rubbed his maskless eyes trying to decipher what had happened.

Then he noticed that one hand was interlocked with something; a gloved hand just like his own. It embraced his grasp, transmitting a mutual feeling of comfort. Yet it still bore some tensity, as the arm twitched slightly. Shifting his gaze over revealed that dark-haired girl to him, her bruised face smiling warmly.

His own expression was one of surprise as she leaned in to lay her head gently across his shoulder and into the nape of his neck. As Makoto closed her own eyes, still bearing a smile, Ren turned to look at the audience they had.

“You made the right call, Haru.” Yusuke spoke first.

“I’ll say.” Ryuji scratched his blonde head. “These guys are practically made for one another.”

“What…?” Ren squinted with disillusion. “How did Makoto and I…?”

“Get here?” His attention turned down towards Morgana standing in front of both of them. “Well, you could call it a timely rescue from your team.”

“Rescue?” He laid his free hand across his chin with perplexed thought, before everything came back to him. 

“That expression tells all.” Futaba smirked. “You guys really put up one hell of a fight against the Reaper.”

Ren still had unanswered questions. “Did...Did we destroy him?”

“Nah.” Ryuji crouched down so they were at eye level. “When we arrived to save your butts, it just got mad and ran away. Think it got frustrated or something.”

“Then how did we get here?”

Ann chimed in now. “You guys both passed out once the Reaper was gone.” She had her arms folded with a look of sympathy. “Both of you were really exhausted, so Ryuji and Yusuke loaded you onto Morgana before he drove us all back up to the entrance. Then we had a little debate before deciding we should all just rest until you guys woke up.”

Morgana posed heroically. “It was a daring rescue, if I do say so myself.”

Ren took a moment to process all of this before his smile found its way back. “I see. Thank you all for being a team we can rely on. And thank you…” he planted a kiss on Makoto’s head, causing her small cheeks to blush slightly “...for placing us together.”

“That was Haru’s idea.” Yusuke noted aloud. “She said something was ‘off’, and so I helped her position you two next to one another as she locked your hands.”

The girl responsible was beaming with happy delight. “I just wanted to make sure things were perfect when you woke up.”

“And you did.” Ren winked at her before looking at Makoto. “Are you okay, Mako?”

“I am.” She replied without leaving his shoulder. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

Ren stopped himself and changed his reply. “You’re welcome, but...I have to apologize to all of you.”

“Huh? Us?” Futaba gawked with Ryuji in tandem.

“Yeah.” Their leader’s eyes shifted towards the floor. “I’m sorry I let this happen. The signs were all there when we took the vote, and yet I forced us to proceed into this mess.”

“Ren…” Ann murmured.

“You all deserve better from me as your leader.” He shook his head in self-disapproval. “You put your lives at risk daily under my leadership to help others, and so it’s my duty to make sure everyone is safe. Yet today I-”

He felt movement on his shoulder. “Ren?”

The boy stopped what he was saying to address Makoto. “Oh, yes?”

“Please shut up.” She sat up again to look at him sternly, leading to Ren feeling a bit flustered for a change.

“Wooooah, burn!” Ryuji exclaimed.

“Mako-chan?” Haru gasped.

Before Ren could object, he felt Makoto squeeze his hand as she made her point clear. “It wasn’t your fault that we got separated. We took a vote earlier and the majority called for progression. None of us truly knew the danger, but then that’s how we operate in general; we challenge the unknown to make society better for everyone.”

“But-”

“ _ Your  _ fault?” She shook her head. “It was nobody’s fault but Mementos’ for being unstable. The important thing is that we’re all safe again, so don’t dwell on the past while you still have a future to live for.”

“Wow!” Now Haru clapped happily. “Mako-chan could be a public speaker someday!”

Yusuke raised a finger to object, “Didn’t she just pass the blam-” before being silenced by an elbow from Ann.

“Heh.” Ren laughed. “You’re right again, Makoto.” He proceeded to pull her in for a kiss on the lips, as the group watched her face turn a new strawberry-red. “I love you, and I’m glad you’re safe.” the boy said once their lips had parted.

Makoto patted her cheeks as the group around them chuckled. “I-I love you too.” Before she could say anymore, her body was suddenly raised off the ground and into Ren’s arms. “Wooooahh?!”

“Come on, let’s get back to Leblanc so we can bandage you up.” The boy wore a sly but loving smirk as he motioned for the team to proceed towards the exit. 

“Nnnnhhhhh!!” Makoto wanted to object yet couldn’t remove her hands away from her blushing face. 

As the Phantom Thieves proceeded to return to the real world, all of them heard Morgana say “And next time Ryuji, don’t kick me while I’m driving!”   
  


“Hey, if I didn’t do that we wouldn’t have made it on time!” The athlete scowled back at the cat.

Yusuke laughed before adding an observation. “If there is a bright side to all of this, we inadvertently made much more progress in Mementos today than I think any of us were expecting to.”

“Good Inari.” Futaba patted him on the back before gesturing to the bickering Morgana and Ryuji. “Look on the bright side of life, unlike those two.”

“But we still haven’t reached the bottom…” Ann thought aloud. 

“We’ll get there soon, after we see Shido’s change of heart come to fruition.” Ren declared. “In the meantime, I’ll brew everyone coffee tonight.”

“Oh no you won’t!” Haru wagged a finger at her leader. “You and Mako-chan both need rest! I’ll do the brewing.”

“Haha, understood.” The boy felt his lover get more comfortable in his arms as they returned to the real world, alive and together again to fight another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of Separated. Sorry for this one being a shorter endeavor, hope it was enjoyable still. I have bigger plans for the future...MUCH bigger.


End file.
